Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIdentifying Insect Bites and StingsMosquitoesHoneybeesWaspsYellow JacketsHornetsFire AntsFleasMites and ChiggersLiceTicksSpidersBed BugsSigns of an Emergency
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Identifying Insect Bites and Stings
Mosquitoes
Honeybees
Wasps
Yellow Jackets
Hornets
Fire Ants
Fleas
Mites and Chiggers
Lice
Ticks
Spiders
Bed Bugs
Signs of an Emergency
Knowing what stung you or bit you can help you distinguish between a temporary annoyance and a potential medical emergency. If you are allergic to certain insect bites or stings, for example, you may develop a severe and life-threatening reaction calledanaphylaxis.
There are many different types of insects and their bites or stings can cause different reactions, some mild, some life-threatening. Once you know what stung or bit you, you can determine the right course of treatment and whether you need to worry about getting bitten or stung again.
This article discusses how to identify 12 of the most common insect bites and stings and what to do about them. You’ll also learn the warning signs of a severe reaction to a bite or sting.
What is Anaphylaxis?
If you’re not having a severe reaction to an insect bite or sting, figuring out what bit or stung you can help you determine the best first aid steps to follow.
Honeybees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and fire ants are common stinging insects. If you happened to see the bug, it might be easy to figure out what it was.
How to Treat Insect Bites and Spider Stings?
Mosquitoes are flying insects that feed on animal blood. They can carry serious diseases such asmalaria,dengue fever,Zika virus, andChikungunyavirus.Only the females bite.
The proteins in mosquito saliva cause an itchy, red bump in most people.If you spend a lot of time outdoors in an area with a large number of mosquitoes, you may have multiple bites.
People with amosquito bite allergymay have a more widespread reaction that includes a rash, large areas of swelling, and bruising, but this type of reaction is uncommon.
DermNet /CC BY-NC-ND
Honeybees usually are not aggressive. However, some species are more likely to sting than others. Bees typically will only sting if their hive is threatened or when they’re stepped on.
Bee stings can lead to pain, swelling, and hives. Honeybee stingers are barbed on the end. After the stinger enters the skin and injects venom, it stays behind.
Removing the stinger is the first thing you need to do after you get stung. You can use a dull edge to scrape the stinger, or grasp it and pull it out.
Whatever method you choose, the most important thing is to get the stinger out fast. The longer it stays in the skin, the more venom it releases into the body.
How to Treat a Bee Sting
Another common stinging insect is a wasp. Wasps come in different colors, such as black, white, and/or yellow. Their bodies are smooth, not fuzzy, and their legs dangle when they fly.
Wasps tend to nest in trees or in the ground.They’re rarely aggressive but will sting if they’re disturbed. Since they don’t leave their stinger behind, a wasp can sting multiple times.
To treat the sting:
Wasp Sting: What You Should Know?
Yellow jackets, a kind of wasp, cause the most sting-related allergic reactions in the United States. Along with honeybees, yellow jackets are also responsible for the most insect stings children get.
As their name suggests, yellow jackets are black and yellow. They nest in the ground and are scavengers. You might see them around garbage cans and they can be unwelcome guests at picnics.
To treat a yellow jacket sting:
How to Recognize and Treat a Yellow Jacket Sting
Hornets, another kind of wasp, can vary in color and may have a white or yellow face. They tend to nest in trees and on the ground. Hornets can be aggressive and can sting multiple times in a row if they feel threatened.
Stings from a hornet can cause swelling, pain, and itchiness. The area that was stung may also feel warm and look red.
To treat a hornet sting:
Can Insect Bites and Stings Cause Bruises?
Fire ants can be found throughout the southern parts of the United States. They are red in and nest in the ground. The nests tend to have a mound of dirt on top that can be as tall as 18 inches.
Fire ants are most likely to bite and sting if a person steps on their nest. They can sting multiple times and will attack if their colony is threatened.
Stings from fire ants inject venom into the body that can cause pain, a burning feeling, and itchiness.
Totreat fire ant stings:
All About Fire Ant Allergy
Fleas can spread diseases such as flea-borne typhus or cat scratch fever.
Flea bites are much smaller than mosquito bites. They look like small, red bumps and can have a red outline. Most flea bites appear in a group of three or four bites. They may be clustered together or in a straight line.
Flea bites are more likely to appear on the feet, calves, and ankles as well as warm, moist parts of the body such as the armpits, under the waistband, or the bend of your elbows, knees, or armpits.
If you notice flea bites, take the following steps:
Body Lice Bites: Steps to Identifying and Treating Them
Mites are tiny insects that can infest human beings. Mites burrow into human skin and can cause itching and rash.
House Centipedes May Bite: How to Tend to the Wound
Scabies
Scabies can only be treated with a prescription topical scabies medication. The medication kills the mites. You will also need to take steps to control the infestation, such as:
Chiggers
Chigger bites look like flat or raised red spots on the skin. They are larger than flea bites. More severe reactions may look similar to blisters.
Chiggers are more likely to bite thin areas of skin and in warm skin folds.They may also bite the ankles and calves.
The most common type of lice that infest humans is head lice. It is also possible to get body lice or pubic lice.
Head lice and pubic lice are not known to carry disease, but body lice can carry pathogens like epidemic typhus and trench fever.Body licedon’t live on human bodies but in clothing and bed linens. In the United States, they are more common in areas of poverty where people live in overcrowded conditions and don’t have access to clean clothing.
The most common symptom of lice is itching in the infested area. The best way to treat lice is to get rid of the infestation.
Ticks are parasitic insects that live outdoors. You may contact ticks when working or recreating in outdoor environments, especially wooded areas or places with heavy brush.
Ticks are important disease vectors. They carry bacterial illnesses such asLyme diseaseand Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They can also spread viruses and protozoan parasites such as Colorado tick fever andbabesiosis.
Ticks feed on human blood. After biting, they remain attached to the skin and can be difficult to remove. Do not pull or twist a tick or apply heat when attempting to remove it. Doing so may remove the tick but leave the head beneath the skin. Instead, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible. Apply even pressure and pull upward.
After removing the tick:
The best way to avoid tick-borne illnesses is to avoid being bitten. If possible, stay out of heavily wooded or brushy areas. If you must spend time in these places, wear long sleeves and long pants and wear insect repellent. Always check your clothing and body for ticks after leaving areas where they are commonly found.
Not all spiders have a harmful bite. In the United States, there are primarily two species considered a danger to human beings: the black widow and the brown recluse.Other spiders, however, can still produce a painful bite.
How a spider bite looks depends on the type of spider that bit you, but you’ll often see two little holes in your skin from their fangs. The bite can also look red and might turn into a blister.
Black Widows
Black widow bites cause symptoms like:
Brown Recluses
A brown recluse bite can cause symptoms like:
Brown recluse spider bites are commonly misdiagnosed, sometimes even in areas where the spiders are not endemic. If you have multiple lesions, if the lesion is red in the center, elevated, bigger than 4 inches, or leaking fluid, it is more likely to be a bacterial infection or have some other cause.
Depending on the severity of the bite and the identification of the spider, the hospital may treat you with:
Once you return home:
Spider Bite Pictures and Treatments
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans. Bed bugs typically infest mattresses, but in a severe infestation they can be found in other parts of the home, including furniture, carpeting, and other upholstered surfaces.
Bed bugs are not known to carry diseases, but they are very difficult to eradicate. The best way to avoid bed bug bites is to prevent an infestation.
Bed bugs are often brought home from hotels. If you travel often, check your hotel mattress for signs of infestation such as blood spots and live bugs. Do not put your luggage or other belongings on the bed or upholstered surfaces.
Bed bug bites are usually small. On white skin, they look red but may look almost purple on darker skin.Bed bug bites often appear in a line or cluster on one part of the body. This is because bed bugs will often pierce the skin in multiple places to find an easy spot to draw blood from.
Bed bug bites can be itchy. Some people may experience a severe reaction to a bed bug bite, though this is uncommon. Signs of a more severe reaction include:
If you have bed bug bites, you can generally treat them yourself:
What to Do About a Horsefly Bite
Insect bites and stings can be life-threatening in people who are allergic. However, you may not learn that you’re allergic to an insect until you are stung more than one time.
If you get an insect bite or sting and develop signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, it’s an emergency and you needimmediate medical attention.
Call 911 or go to the ER if you get an insect bite or sting and start having:
Use Your EpiPenIf you know about your insect bite or sting allergy, always carry anepinephrine auto-injector(EpiPen). If you get stung, call 911. Then, inject yourself with your EpiPen or have someone else do it.
Use Your EpiPen
If you know about your insect bite or sting allergy, always carry anepinephrine auto-injector(EpiPen). If you get stung, call 911. Then, inject yourself with your EpiPen or have someone else do it.
Summary
Insect bites and stings are a common occurrence in kids and adults. For most people, it’s a minor pain that will get better with a little home treatment. However, for people who are allergic, a sting or bite from an insect can be a life-threatening medical emergency.
If you know you’re allergic to insects or are having symptoms of a severe reaction like trouble breathing, call 911 or go to the nearest ER, and use an EpiPen if you have one.
How to Remove a Bee Stinger
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